Attachment for can covers



July 7, 1925. 1,545,026

B. F. ARMSTRONG ATTACHMENT FOR CAN COVERS Filed May 10, 1922 m. w u Q M Patented July 7, 1925.. 7

PATENT orrioa.

BENJAMIN F. ARMSTRDNG, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO).

ATTACHMENT FOR CAN COVERS.-

Application filed May 10, 1922. serial No. 559,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 'it known that I, BENJAMIN F. ARM- STRONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improveni'ents in an Attachment for CanCovers, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to provide an eflicient and inexpensive spring device for holding loose printed matter or a booklet within a dished cover of a can or other tin container storing paint, syrup, preserves, or any liquid or hard material. The device is also particularly designed and constructed to be easily attached and detached from a cover fixed in place in the can, or to be removed With/the cover without displacement or release of the printed matter within the cover. Thus, a printed folder or booklet maybe securely fastened in place within the cover when the latter functions to seal the can, but nevertheless accessible to permit such folder orbooklet to be removed and opened; and when the cover is released and'detached from the can this folder or booklet may be deposited and locked within the cover and the interlocked parts handled as a unit although readily separable if occasion requires In the annexed drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sealed tin can having my improved spring holder attached to the cover, and Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of a can and its cover and my spring holder and showing a thumb and forefinger in the. act of releasing the holder. Fig. 3 is a pers ective of the can cover and its spring hol er attached together and holding printed matter in the dished side of the cover. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the cover and printed matter and a side view of the spring holder locked together as a portable unit. Fig. 5 is a pers ective unit. Fig. 6 is a erspective view 0 a printed folder or book et, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of spring holder.

As shown the invention is applied to .a paint canv 2 having a depressed top3 possessin a large central opening which is ordered by a friction flange 4. extending downwardly :from a raised edge or seat 5 for a removable cover 6. The body of this cover is dished deeply and has inclined sides 7 to frictionally engage, depending flange 4, and a horizontal flange 8 on the cover extends outwardly to a substantial distance beyond raised edge 5, thereby leaving a spacebetween this flange 8 and the inclined offset portion 9 of top .3, see Fig. 2. Thus, the cover may be pressed tightly to its limit in the opening of the can top and still leave a gap or space beneath .the overlapping flange 8, which may have its peripheral edge beaded or doubled back upon itself to provide a round smooth edge. 1

In many instances it is desirable to furnish printed directions, formulas, recipes,;or pertinent advertising matter relating to the contents or mixturescontained in the can. Such printed matter is often necessary to .permit the goods to beproperly prepared,

let 12, within the concaved or dished side of the cover, and to attach this member to the cover so that it may be affixed thereto and removed therefrom at will either when the cover is pressed into the can or when said cover is removed and laid aside. To that end, spring holder 11 is made-of a relatively thin strip of spring metal bent upwardly at its op osite ends and thence outwardly and fina ly turned downwardly and inwardly to provide short hooks 14 at both extremities. The vertical portions 15 of this spring strip place the main connecting portion 16 thereof in a relatively lower horizontal plane than the hook extremities 14;

thereby permitting middle portion 16 to function as an elongated pressure bar adapted to hold either a thin or thick folder or booklet 12 firmlywithin the dished cover when the hooked extremities 14.- are engaged withthe opposite edges of flange 8 of the cover. To provide additional flexibility and an accommodating surrender in this s ring holder at opposite ends thereof I pre er to incline the, short vertical portions in res set to the horizontal middle orti'on of the ar, thereby makin it possible to accommodate folders or boo lets of different thicknesses and to permit effective interlocking-and an attachable and detachable connection with the ed es of the cover. 1 To urther promote locking engagement andunlocking of the hooked extremities with flange 8 I prefer to incline the portions 15 of the spring" locking bar inwardly toward each other, thereby localizing the spring action so that the hooked extremities may be moved outwardly a I substantial distance horizontally and so that a decided contraction will take place at each end of this sprin holder when the finger pressure is relieve The Z or 8 formation of the ends of the spring holder also provide prominent and accessible finger holds as plainly shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 7, the vertical'portions 15' are inclined outwardly and one of thehooked extremities has a downwardly slanting end 17 to permit a snap engagement with the edge of the cover.

When the cover is in sealing position within the top of the can and the locking member is also in place on the cover the device and the top edges of the can are substantially flush. Therefore, similarly equipped cans may be piled or stacked upon each other without interference and without accident 1y dislodging or releasing the spring holders. These friction covers are also automatically applied and pressed to their seats by means of machines called capping machines, and the spring holders'and matter held thereby may be attached to the covers before the covers are operated upon by these machines and without affecting the operations of such machines. Or the printed matter or other article may be placed within the cover and locked in place by the locking member after the covers have been afiixed to the cans,

What I claim, is:

1. An attachment for a can having a dished cover comprising a spring member detachably engaged in spring connection at and projected downwardly intermediate said ends into the dished side of the cover and adapted to secure solid matter removably within said coverwhether the latter is ai iixed to or separated from the "can.

2. An attachment for a can having la dished cover provided with a border flange, comprising a spring holder having hooked extremities adapted to engage said flange and to spring outwardly to be readily disconnected and bent downwardly 'at its middle portion to engage and hold solid matter deposited within the dished side of the cover.

3, An attachment for a friction can cover having a circumferential flange and a central depression, comprising a thin strip of metal having hooked extremities and short vertical spring portions adjacent said extremities adapted to promote interlocking with said flange and spaced apart therefrom to permit said hooked extremities to be pressed outwardly,

4. An attachment for a dished friction can cover having a laterally extending circumferential flange, comprlsing a strip. of spring metal having a straight middle portion bent upwardly at an inclination at opposite ends thereof and terminating in hook portions adapted to engage said flange, the straight middle port-ion of said strip being adapted to extend into the dished side of said cover to hold solid matter deposited therein. v 5. A can, cover having a dished central portion and a circumferential flange, in combination with a straight strip of spring metal holding loose matter within said dished portion having 2 shaped end portions terminating in hooks adapted to detachably interlock with said flange.

In testimon whereof I aiiix my signature.

BLN AMIN F. ARMSTRONG. 

